Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $163.08.

Several analysts recently issued reports on LDOS shares. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Leidos from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Leidos

In related news, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total value of $144,020.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at $1,622,241.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,059 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.23, for a total transaction of $153,798.57. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 7,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,082,689.65. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gary Stephen May sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.02, for a total transaction of $144,020.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,622,241.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.96% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Leidos

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Key Financial Inc boosted its position in shares of Leidos by 6.5% during the 2nd quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 1,141 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $166,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Leidos by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 2,671 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $350,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Somerset Trust Co boosted its holdings in Leidos by 4.7% in the second quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 2,346 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $342,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Leidos by 3.1% in the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,569 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $521,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Finally, Czech National Bank raised its position in shares of Leidos by 0.5% during the first quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 24,194 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,172,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. 76.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Leidos Price Performance

NYSE:LDOS opened at $155.50 on Monday. Leidos has a 1-year low of $89.22 and a 1-year high of $159.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $150.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $142.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.95 billion, a PE ratio of 67.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.70.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The aerospace company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.36. Leidos had a return on equity of 28.40% and a net margin of 2.72%. The company had revenue of $4.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.06 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.80 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Leidos will post 8.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Leidos Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Leidos’s payout ratio is presently 65.52%.

About Leidos

Leidos Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides services and solutions in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Defense Solutions, Civil, and Health segments. The Defense Solutions segment offers national security solutions and systems for air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace for the U.S.